Andromeda
by beelzemongirl
Summary: Lockdown had been having a strange dream as of late. What does it mean when the hunter becomes the hunted? What does it mean for his and Shadow's next Sparkling?
1. Prologue

Lockdown

I'd been having that same dream for months now. I was running from something, but I didn't know what at first. I wasn't scared, but I couldn't stop until something out of the shadows attacked me. I tried my best to fight it off, but it didn't work. The next thing I knew I was flipped over and at the mercy of another Cybertronian that was black, dark blue, and lime green. I noticed something strange about it: its optics were brown, just like Shadow's.

"Who are you?" I had to ask.

It smirked before answering. "You honestly don't know me? Well, you will in the near future. I'll give you a hint. I know all your moves" it was a femme, "Because you taught them to me and my brothers".

"What?" that didn't make any sense. Who was she and why was she hunting me?

But before I could ask, I was forced out of recharge. Sighing, I put my good hand on my head and realized I was in a cold sweat. Shadow, my beloved spark mate, woke at the same time as I did.

"You okay?" Shadow embraced me.

"Yeah, just that annoying dream again, that's all".

"Lockdown, I really think you should talk to Prowl about this dream. He's good with this sort of thing".

"I don't wanna trouble him. I mean, he just got married two months ago".

_Everything okay? _It was Camelio, and next to him was his older twin brother, Chamaeleon.

"We're okay, boys. You should go back to recharge" Shadow suggested.

_Papa had himself a bad dream. _Chamaeleon commented.

"Don't worry about me, boys. You hungry?" I asked.

_You bet! _They both answered.

"Alright".

I couldn't believe that even at two and a half months, the boys were still communicating telepathically with me and Shadow. I wished that they'd start talking normal soon. But that wouldn't happen for another three stellar cycles. For now, we had to make due with telepathy on the boys' part. Shadow and I fed them their energon and we put them back to recharge.

"I still think you should still go see Prowl. You were partners once, and partners should trust each other".

"It's not that I don't trust him, Shadow, it's just that I don't wanna bother him with my problems. He's got enough issues; seeing as how Aims is gonna have a sparkling here in a few months. I just don't think it'd be right".

"Lockdown…" Shadow saw no point in arguing, "Alright, let's just try to get some sleep, okay?".

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah".

It was always strange to me that whenever I fell asleep holding on to Shadow, that one dream never got to me.

A/N: Yeah I know, it's short. Yes, Prowl and Aimee are having a sparkling here soon. So R/R peeps!


	2. Chapter 1

Shadow

I can always tell when he's stressed out over something. It wasn't just because we shared the same Sparks, but it was a mutual, loving connection. It was bad enough that I was pregnant again at the time (I hadn't told him yet), and stress was bad enough on sparklings while they were still in the early stage of development. I knew Lockdown wasn't gonna go see Prowl, so I decided to.

Aimee answered the door to their room in the main ranch house. She was beautiful now, a lot more than she had been in years.

"Hey, Mel, What's up?" she asked, calling me by my human nickname.

"Is Prowl there?".

"Yeah, Hey Prowl, it's Mel".

Prowl came to the door looking tired. Apparently I'd woken him.

"Sorry" I apologized.

"No, it's alright, Shadow. Have you told him yet?" Prowl asked.

I shook my head.

Prowl sighed in annoyance. "Shadow, you need to tell him, or I'm going to be the one to do it. I keep telling you that".

"I know, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid. When I was pregnant with the boys, Oil Slick told us about it, so I really don't know how to tell him".

"What's wrong? You seem…Stressed" Prowl noted.

"No, I'm not stressed. That's Lockdown. That's why I'm here. I heard you were good at interpreting dreams. I was wondering if you can interpret his".

"Come in. How long has he been having it?".

I sat down on the berth in between my two friends. "Ironically since I found out I was pregnant again".

"It could have something to do with the Sparkling. Have you received any telepathic messages from it?".

"No, not yet".

"Tell me about the dream".

I did. I described every detail for Prowl the same way Lockdown explained it to me. He just waited for me to get done and saved his questions and statements 'til afterward.

"Perhaps there's another Bounty Hunter after him. Although I find it strange that it was a femme. And you said that she told him that she knew all his attacks because he taught her?".

"Yeah".

Prowl appeared thoughtful. "It definitely has something to do with the Sparkling. If my interpretation is correct, you'll have a femme and he'll train her and the boys to be highly skilled bounty hunters".

"That's fine and all, but why would she hunt her own father?".

"That's what I don't know. I can't interpret that unfortunately" Prowl sighed, "I wish I could be of more help, Shadow".

"It's cool. Most of it's been interpreted anyway. Thanks, Prowl. Alright, I gotta get back so I can take care of the boys".

"Tell them we said hi" Aimee said as I got up to leave.

"Yes, please do" Prowl agreed, "And don't forget to tell him".

"I'll try to" I said as I walked out the door.

A/N: So you know some of the stuff going on here, but can you interpret the rest? That's my challenge for my readers this chapter. Hope you liked it.


	3. Chapter 2

Chamaeleon

_It was days like these that I really wished I could see into the future like Camelio could. I knew something wasn't right, but it was difficult to figure out. Camelio already knew mama was pregnant again and already knew what the future held for the sparkling inside. _

"It's a femme, her name's Andromeda, and she's a bounty hunter. Every bit as good as papa is" Camelio told me.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I've seen it, and it will be as papa's dream is, unless she can make it in time to save our family".

"What?".

"There will be a betrayal from one of us…addiction will tear us apart, unless Andromeda can make it".

_So that's why papa kept having all those strange dreams. It was a warning from our sister saying that he truly needed to let go of his addiction. I knew he still thirsted for the power of mods and upgrades, and that he hadn't exactly gotten over losing all his other mods a year ago. Typical…Andromeda, from the future of course, would have to be the one to save our family. If addiction was indeed going to set us apart, it's not the family that had to be saved. _

_It was papa. _

A/N: Hey everyone! Yep, I'm even giving the boys their very own chapters. They're not gonna be long ones and will be typed in italics most of the time. Now that you've read this chapter, think you can figure what's gonna happen? R/R if you think you know!


	4. Chapter 3

Cameliopardalus

_Papa wasn't the only one having strange dreams, so was I. in fact, that's how I got most of my visions. That dream he kept having, that wasn't the past. I caught on to that really quick. That was our future. That femme bounty hunter, Andromeda her name is, was our younger sister, and Papa's best student when it came to art of hunting. _

_Now I didn't know what to think or do. I had to tell someone other than Chamaeleon, so I knew the time would come for mama to tell Papa that we were gonna have a sister that, if he didn't let go of his addiction to upgrades now, would kick his butt later. No offense, but I kinda laugh at the thought of that. Yeah, I love laughing at people's pain and confusion. I don't know why. I guess it's because I'm my father's child and he used to do the same thing. _

_But all in all, Andromeda was coming here, to the past, to put an end to all this and maybe make the future better for all of us. I still couldn't help but wonder though…what about Uncle Prowl and Aunt Aimee and their sparkling? Dang it, I wish I could see into their future, but for some odd reason, I can't. Man…this really sucks. _

A/N: I tried making Camelio a little comedic here. As you can probably already tell, Chamaeleon is the more serious of the twins. Ironically, he's also five minutes older and acts like Shadow. Camelio is Lockdown's son through and through. R/R please!


	5. Chapter 4

Lockdown

So what? I had the dreams, but I didn't know what they meant. I sat there by the pond, throwing random pebbles into the water just to see the ripples. Why didn't I wanna fight her? That femme, she seemed familiar, yet I didn't know her. She said I would know her in time, but when? Maybe Shadow was right. Maybe I should've talked to Prowl before taking this up with just me. I sighed as I got up and looked for him. Thank Primus he wasn't too far away.

Prowl was near the enclosure by the corral, watching over a beautiful, white feathered crane chick he named Excalibur, after King Arthur's sword. I never got what he saw in that little bird. I knew Excalibur meant a lot to him, but he had actually adopted him out of sympathy. Excalibur's parents had been killed by hunters and he was the last one left. Prowl just had that way with animals I guess.

"Hey there, partner" I said.

Prowl nodded in regard. "Something's been troubling Shadow, Lockdown, and she says it's more you than her".

"Ugh, don't tell me…she already saw you about my dream, didn't she?".

"She did. She's very worried about you, and for more reasons than one".

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Lockdown, I don't think she's told you yet. Shadow….Lockdown, she's pregnant again".

Well that was a total shocker! Why the slag didn't she tell me? I'd have to talk to her about that.

"She was afraid of telling you because she really didn't know how to tell you. According to her, your apprentice put the puzzle together last time".

"Yeah, Oil Slick did a scan on her and figured it out. Well, I didn't expect her to sugar coat it. If she had just told me…Prowl, if she's off hiding stuff from me, how can I trust her?".

"You tell her to have faith, but the way I see it, you're starting to lose faith yourself. Is it me or are you regretting your decision to be with her?".

That just flat out ticked me off. "What kind of question is that?! I don't regret being with her! So think before you open your mouth next time!".

"I was merely asking a simple question".

"Oh yeah, it's simple, alright! How'd you feel if I asked that about you and Aimee?!".

Oh yeah, that struck a nerve. I couldn't stand this anymore! Why did it seem that everyone in the whole Primus forsaken planet was doubting me?! Unable to stand that, I just left where hopefully I could get some quiet and sort through my thoughts.

A/N: Looks like Lockdown found out the hard way. Hopefully it'll all work out fine.


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Congrats to tlcoopi7, you are the first to figure it all out. Yes, it is Lockdown fighting with his daughter, who he trains to be the perfect hunter. Don't worry, she'll make another, more in person, appearance later.

Shadow

I was angry at Prowl when I found out he told Lockdown about my pregnancy when I was just about ready to tell him. I swear…I wanted to kill him. Things got a little better when Lockdown came back and gave me some loving company.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Are you?" I replied.

"A little. Shadow, why didn't you tell me right when you found out? If you're gonna keep stuff like this hidden from me, how can I trust you?".

I looked at him sadly. "I guess you can't".

He pulled me closer to him so I was hearing his spark in my audio. I found myself in tears. I was so ashamed, so disgusted with myself. I should've told him much sooner.

"It's gonna be okay, Shadow. I'm here, and here is where I'm gonna stay".

"I know" I managed, "But I'm so stupid for not telling you".

"Don't think like that, Shadow Wing. You're gonna make me feel bad. So, what's it gonna be?".

"I don't know. I haven't received any messages from it yet. Telepathic or otherwise".

"Strange, the boys were communicating with us long before their sparking. Yet this one just doesn't wanna talk".

I thought it was a little unusual myself. But when I thought about it, and thought about Lockdown's dream all the while, I think I understood what was going on.

"It's a femme…and she's a bounty hunter, just like you. Prowl told me".

That didn't really seem to surprise him. He knew I had gone to see Prowl earlier that morning, so it was only natural that he wasn't surprised.

"Ain't that something…And I thought we were gonna have another mech" he said at last.

I looked up at him. "You sexist afthole".

A/N: Yay, it worked out! But what about later? Keep reading!


	7. Chapter 6

Chamaeleon

_We both knew something was wrong. There was a deep disturbance in the air around the ranch the others couldn't sense. It kept me awake at night, but I never called out to my parents. Rather, I let myself be carried away by it. I wasn't worried, since Camelio already told me who was causing the disturbance. _

"It's Andromeda. She's coming to our time to stop this before it begins. She and Papa are gonna have a bit of a talk, I can tell".

"It's gonna be a slugfest isn't it?" I asked.

"Maybe, I don't know. It'll depend on a lot of things".

_I didn't speak again after that. There wasn't a point to it. What was the point in talking about someone coming from another time to save you and your family from something that could tear you apart? If Andromeda was to succeed, I'd be forever indebted to her. _

A/N: Yeah, that's a wrap for this chapter. Sorry their chapters are so short, but I think you'll find the next chapter to be quite interesting.


	8. Chapter 7

Cameliopardalus

_Like what Chamaeleon was saying, we sensed a deep disturbance, but I already knew who it was. And at last, she showed herself right when I least expected it. It was Andromeda from her time. _

_She looked the same as she did in my visions and papa's dream. She had all dark colors, except for the lime green on her waist, similar to what papa had. Other than that, she looked like mama. _

"I rather hoped you'd come" _I said._

Andromeda sat down next to our berths. "I must've gone too far back if you were able to sense me" _she replied in the same calming voice that resembled our father's. _

"No, I would've sensed you anyway".

"No, if I had gone to the right time, you wouldn't. I was going to the years when you didn't have telepathy anymore".

_We were quiet for several minutes. We just enjoyed each other's company. It was nice to be with someone you didn't know personally, but knew they were related to you somehow. _

"How've you been?" _Andromeda asked. _

"Pretty good, except I'm kinda worried about why you're here".

"Sometimes I don't even know, but I'm here now and I'm not leaving until I know for sure that Lockdown's gotten over his addiction".

_She wasn't a part of him anymore, obviously. Only sparklings who disliked their parent called that parent by name. _

"You shouldn't hate him".

"Not saying I do, big brother. But by the looks of things, he's left me with no other option".

"But can't you think of other ways to do things?".

"It's the way we're taught, Camelio. If all else fails, hunt for the source of the problem. I can't stick around here without being detected, is there any place I can go to stick around and keep an eye on things?".

"There's a stable over by the corral. No one's used it in months".

"Thanks…just don't sell me out".

"Don't plan to".

A/N: Andromeda has landed, folks! But now that she's here, what else is gonna happen?


	9. Chapter 8

Lockdown

I have to admit, not a whole lot had changed over the past few months we'd been here. One thing, however, did. Not a thing, but a who. A very different kind of who. Starscream. Yeah, we just woke up one morning to Alexis screaming that there was a peeping tom in the barn and I went to check it out.

"Don't kill me! It's Starscream!".

"Prove it! Say something only Starscream would say!" I demanded.

"You're a dick head, Lockdown!".

I lowered my hook. "Good enough for me".

Yeah, after the twins were born, he came up with the nickname Dick Head for me. It was fine, but if he ever used it around Shadow, she'd kill him. I would've done anything to see that.

But what was even more surprising was the morning I found…_her. _Oh yeah, she had to be real dumb if she thought I wouldn't see her. Andromeda was looking over Excalibur (who was still sleeping, waiting for Prowl to come and feed him) when I saw her. I immediately recognized her as the hunter from the dream, and I got my chainsaw ready in case if she were to see me and attack. But no, she just stood there and watched the crane chick. I knew she saw me; she looked right at me, but didn't do anything. Let me tell you, that surprised me a bunch.

After a few minutes, she just left for the stable right next to the corral. She was hiding in there huh? Well, let's see how she liked to get a taste of me now. I followed her into the stable, but kept quiet all the while. But Primus damn it, she saw me or something. Either way, she knew I was there.

"What do you want, Lockdown?".

Holy shift, she knew my name! And she knew I was there! But how did she know?

"Alright, who the slag are you?" I asked.

"The name's Andromeda…I'm your daughter. You know, the one you ditch so you can get some more mods and upgrades? You know, that one whose mother you abandon and that one you keep stabbing in the back just to get what you want?".

What the slag was she talking about? I'd never do any of those things.

"I think you got the wrong mech, kid".

"No, trust me, I got the right one. I told you that you'd know me in time".

Ah, so that's what she meant.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"To stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life. And deny it all you want, but I already know what's gonna happen if I didn't come here. All those things I said you'd do, you will do, unless I can make you see otherwise".

Oh yeah, definitely my kid. She had that whole…immoral but not evil thing going on that I used to have (Still kinda do come to think of if). She obviously learned that from me.

"Shadow's pregnant again. Are you that sparkling?".

"It took you that long to figure that out? Oh well, age I guess. At any rate, yes, I am".

"Any other details I should know?" I asked.

"Yeah" Andromeda nodded, "I'm not leaving until I know for sure the addiction's gone".

A/N: How was that? Yeah, she's still pretty cold to him, even in this time. She just doesn't trust him, you know? Would you trust a parent who abandoned you? Anyway, I liked that comment you made, tlcoopi7. That was hilarious! I can see it as a video on YouTube: Lockdown goes to rehab. Another thing that's actually kinda strange that I kinda would like to see is a trailer of Twilight using Transformers Animated characters. I actually requested for someone to do that, but no one's reading my profile…so…yeah, just r/r please.


	10. Chapter 9

Shadow

It took me a while to believe that Andromeda really was ours. Introductions went pretty well, seeing as how she practically knew everyone already. She loved them all though, well, maybe not Lockdown as much. Another Mech she seemed to have a problem with was Swindle, and for good reason.

Swindle's an arms dealer, and a close friend of Lockdown's. So technically, it was Swindle hooking him up on all those upgrades and such. She wanted to kill him, I could tell. But luckily, she restrained.

But she seemed to get along well with everyone else, especially Wreck-Gar, Prowl, and Aimee. There was a reason why Andromeda was highly respectful to Aims and Prowl: Believe it or not, their sparkling, named Kiba according to her, was to be her future spark mate. No one could really believe that at first, but everyone came to terms.

But I hated seeing Lockdown and Andromeda so spaced from each other. She didn't trust him, he didn't know her, but I knew a way they could fix that on their own. We just had to wait for the magic to all happen. I knew Andromeda was full of hatred and anger at Lockdown, but if he could do something to prove that he cared about her, and wouldn't leave us for anything, she would love him, and we'd not worry about it anymore.

"You want me to do what?" Lockdown asked when I proposed my idea.

"Sell the mods, at least all the ones you don't need. If you don't have mods, she can't say you'll go hunting for them".

"You think it's that simple?!" Andromeda had overheard us, "He'll never give up his addiction! Not for me, you, or the twins! So stop trying! I'm not gonna trust him just because he sells a few!".

"Hey, you stay out of this!" Lockdown snarled at her.

If he snarled at her, Andromeda would strike back, unafraid of what he could do to her.

"Make me, I dare ya!".

Yep, definitely his daughter. I knew he wouldn't hurt her, even if he wanted to. He hadn't struck anyone since I met him.

"Exactly, I knew you didn't have the spark plugs to do it. Next time you wanna plan something, make sure I don't hear it".

A/N: Oh yeah, Andromeda's being a glitch. Gee, I wonder who she gets that from?


	11. Chapter 10

Chamaeleon

_I was a little concerned after I heard what went down between papa and Andromeda. At this rate, they would get nowhere, and not anyone knew that better than me and Camelio. We couldn't just sit there and do nothing. We had to make them see something, something that would make them love each other. Maybe then, all these problems would be over. _

_I sensed mama was feeling hopeless. Andromeda's spark would be taken out of her any day now. If things weren't working out now, it never would. I found myself wishing to do something about this. This wasn't just Papa's problem, it was everyone's. So in that case, we all had to think of something to do. But what? What could stop an addiction to anything? _

A/N: Yeah, possibly the shortest chapter, sorry guys. I'll have to think of some way to get Andromeda and Lockdown close. It's kinda sad when I gotta ask you guys for help. But…can you? Many thanks!


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm gonna start this by answering questions. For tlcoopi7, yes, he has gotten himself some new toys, and Shadow even has a few. One of which is this really kick butt whip I saw in a drawing book once, but I thought it'd be cool as a part of her weaponry. It's mostly a black cord that can generate electric fields and shock whoever it strikes. To make it even more deadly, I've added an axe head at the end of it, and a blade on the handle, so it's not exactly easy to use. Super audios are one of many of Lockdown's new devices. They were featured in my last fic, in case you're wondering. One really awesome device that he has that he gives Andromeda later for her spark day happens to be something called a Timeline, which allows the user to travel back or forward in time. It can freeze time, and can even allow the user to be in two places at once. Thank you for reading. For Panthergirl29, I like that suggestion, but I've just now come up with my own. Thanks though, I'll keep it in mind for future reference. Again, thanks!

Camelio

_That opportunity really showed itself one night about six weeks after Andromeda's arrival. We waited forever for something like this to happen, and when it did, we were all relieved. They went to recharge hating each other, but came out closer, much closer. _

_Andromeda had nightmares about her past and what was meant to happen. She told me all about them. The scariest one in her optics was the one about papa leaving. She was only about six stellar cycles when it happened. She tried to tell him to stay, and begged him not to leave. He promised her he'd be back, and she would sit there and wait. She didn't recharge, or eat, nothing. She just waited. But he never came home. When realization would dawn on her, at first she'd be a pitiful, crying mess. But after a while, she caught on that maybe it wasn't so bad. She'd get back at him eventually for abandoning her. _

_That was kinda sad. Deprivation of a father's love turned her into the hunting monster she was now. She never had a taste for upgrades, and never killed her prey unless they were suffering to the brink of death, and even that was humane. She told she spent stellar cycles looking for him, but….she didn't find him for the longest time. She knew he was alive, because if he were dead, Mama would've been dead too. _

_She was having that same nightmare about papa leaving her all alone in that empty darkness. No hands for her to hold on to. No one's shoulder to cry on. No one to teach her to hunt and be happy again. By the end of the dream, the walls around her crumbled, and she was crazy with sadness, screaming out in her sleep for him not to leave. _

_Mama first got up and investigated the whole thing, and tried to help Andromeda, but she had turned her away. _

"I want Dad!".

_This surprised everyone. No one ever thought that maybe underneath it all she wanted him to love her again, like he had when she was smaller. All of us surprised, but none as surprised as papa himself. _

"Honestly, Lockdown, why bother with her? All she's done since she got here is give you hell"_ Swindle tried to discourage him. _

"Swindle, do me a favor, and keep your mouth shut. As for everyone else, could you please get out? I think this is something I gotta take care of on my own".

_When everyone was gone, I used my senses to know what was going on. _

_He nudged Andromeda's shoulder. _"Hey, it's okay, I'm still here".

"Not for long"_ she managed to look at him with tear filled optics, _"Why? Was it something I did? Did you leave because of me?".

"No. never. It wasn't your fault. It was mine if it was anyone's".

"You're lying! It was my fault! When I asked where you were going, you looked so angry at me…and then you said hesitantly that you might come back. And I waited for you, but you never came home! And it was all my fault!".

"Andromeda"_ papa put his arms around her lovingly, _"No, it wasn't your fault. Andromeda, I never left you, and I never will. You and your brothers…you're my babies and I can't just leave you guys. I'm not that heartless".

_She simply curled up to him, like she would've if she were a sparkling, to feel him close. She was afraid that if he let go of her, he'd leave again, and never ever come back. _

"Please stay, daddy. I really need you around".

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise".

_I closed my thoughts out then. There wasn't anymore need for me to see more. The two sparks were finally open to each other, and now everything would be fine again. _


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: First of all, I don't own the song Invisible, which purely belongs to Clay Aiken. Yes, I know, he's gay, I don't care. I love this song. Sorry if this makes it sound like I'm pairing Lockdown and Andromeda together (Good Lord, I think I just scared myself). Anyway, on with the fic.

Lockdown

Yeah, so what, we bonded over something that hadn't even happened yet. So what? But there were other things that brought us together. She taught me how to use her timeline, which is actually mine (Snagged it from Swindle, the little sucker!). Another thing that brought us together was, surprisingly, music. I found we had similar tastes, but one song in particular caught my attention. I don't know why, it just did.

_Whatcha doin' tonight? _

_I wish I could be, _

_A fly on your wall. _

_Are you really alone? _

_Who's stealing your dreams? _

Yeah, she was blaring it as Pete, Alexis, and Starscream were hanging out in the huge backyard, just having a good time with friends. It wasn't long before me, Shadow, and the boys all joined in. It just seemed like everyone else followed our example.

"Hey, what station are you on?" I asked when I changed to my vehicle mode (Andromeda was already in hers).

"I'm not on one. This is a CD".

"Oh…that's cool".

_Why can't I breathe, _

_You into my life? _

_So tell me, _

_What would it take, _

_To make you see that I'm alive? _

Damn it, she had a CD player! I had nothing but radio! How wrong is that?! I looked around for a bit, and I thought about something that I hadn't in a while. I was one lucky son of a glitch. Yeah, I barely knew my roots, but at least now I had a true family of my own, even if some of them were a little smaller than me. I had a mate, almost three kids, a brother-partner figure, a kinda trigger happy best friend (Never let Swindle try out a new gun! You have been warned!), I had a sister who was mated with my brother-partner figure, and two kinda loveable surrogate sons. What more could I want?

_If I was invisible, _

_Then I could just watch you in your room. _

_If I was invincible, _

_I'd make you mine tonight. _

_If hearts were unbreakable, _

_Then I could just tell you where I stand. _

_I would be the smartest man, _

_If I was invisible. _

_Wait, I already am. _

Well, it kinda was easy to become invisible in all this. I wasn't invisible to everyone, though. Andromeda was still hanging around with me, even when I decided to just take a short leave for a while. My daughter followed as if afraid her nightmare was gonna come true.

"Where you going?" she asked.

"Nowhere in particular. Wanna come?".

"Sure".

We were silent for a little while, not really sure what to say. So I decided to ask about her.

_Saw your face in the crowd. _

_I call out your name. _

_You don't hear a sound. _

_I keep tracing your steps, _

_Each move that you make. _

"I love this song" Andromeda broke the silence.

"Yeah, I kinda do too. So, are you sparked here?".

"Mm-hm. Yep, raised too for the first three stellar cycles".

"You know, I was looking around back there and I kinda realized that I had everything I need right here. I don't them, the mods, I mean".

_Wish I could read_

_What goes through your mind._

_Oh baby. _

_Wish you could touch me, _

_With the colors of your life. _

"That's awesome. But I don't feel a shift just yet. Maybe it'll take a little bit more time than I thought".

"A shift?".

"Oh, yeah, it's change in time. It's something I get from the timeline here. It allows me feel changes in the future. Although I can't help but wonder if you're back at home right now missing me and I just don't know it".

_If I was invisible,_

_Then I could just watch you in your room. _

_If I was invincible, _

_I'd make you mine tonight. _

_If hearts were unbreakable, _

_Then I could just_

_Tell you where I stand. _

_I would be the smartest man. _

_If I was invisible. _

_Wait, I already am. _

"I wouldn't doubt it. I miss all you guys when you're away" I told her.

Andromeda gave a look that said 'oh really?' in that really sarcastic way.

"What?" I said, "I would miss you guys".

"Did I say anything?".

"Not, but you had that look on your face".

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to offend anyone".

We were quiet again and enjoyed some more of Invisible.

_I reach out, _

_You don't even see me._

_Even when I scream out, _

_Baby you don't hear me. _

_I am nothing without you. _

_Just a shadow passing through. _

"Maybe we should go back" I said.

"I don't know, I really wanna hang here, if that's cool with you".

"Sure I'll stay for a while".

"Thanks".

"It ain't an issue. So, anything else about you I should know?".

"Yeah, I love to take things apart, fair warning".

_If I was invisible, _

_(Yeah)_

_Then I could just watch you in your room. _

_If I was invincible, _

_I'd make you mine tonight. _

_If hearts were unbreakable, _

_Then I could just, _

_Tell you where I stand. _

_I would be the smartest man. _

_If I was invisible. _

_If I was invisible, _

_If I was invisible. _

_Wait, I already am. _

Take things apart huh? What kind of warning was that? I'd found out later, she told me when we finally decided to head back.


	14. Chapter 13

Shadow

Yeah, I agreed. What kind of warning was that? Well, we got our answer later that evening when we heard Swindle screaming like he was having a spark attack.

"What in the name of Primus is wrong with you?! You can't take these apart!" we heard him yelling.

Lockdown and I immediately got up and went to the stables to investigate what exactly was going on. Well, we found Andromeda there, sitting on the floor, with parts of a weapon of some sort of Swindle's. Lockdown wound up laughing his head off, while I was kinda worried. Yeah, Swindle was a force to be reckoned with when he was ticked off enough, but he was just furious now.

"Cool it, Peddler. You were careless, you left it somewhere for me to find, and here it is, on the ground, in its little pieces. Now, I can take stuff apart, but I only know how to put them back together if I add my own little kinks. So, what do you say?".

"What do I think?! What kind of question is that supposed to be?! Fix it now!".

"Easy Swindle, damn. I don't see why you can't put it back together. I mean, you were careless enough to leave it lying around. So you should be responsible for it" Lockdown was defending Andromeda.

"You can't be serious? This little brat gets away with everything just 'cause she's yours? I THINK NOT!!!".

"Easy, damn. We'll come up with a solution".

"Already gave him my alternative, but Mr. Peddler here doesn't wanna listen to me" Andromeda added.

"Why don't you take her suggestion?".

"Because it's not gonna work the same way! She's gonna do something to it and reduce its performance".

"Hold the phone!" Andromeda picked up a part, "I know what this is. Dad….this is the gun that becomes your timeline which you later give to me. Dude, I can so fix this! I know how!".

"Oh, you're gonna turn a gun into what? A time machine?!" Swindle objected.

"So what? I just wanna see if I can do it" Andromeda tried to assuage Swindle, "If I can't, then I'll give it back to you".

"I don't know-".

"Trust me, I can try".

Swindle, unwillingly, agreed. If Andromeda could fix it and it'd still work the way it did, then everything would be fine. Hopefully, everything would work out.

A/N: Yeah, how was that? I was kinda rushed this when I typed this, so I didn't get to put in all the details I wanted to. Hopefully I can start giving some other characters some focus for a little bit. How's that sound?


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: Okay, I'm gonna make this chapter my point of view (I guess it's my POV, I don't know). But it is Screamer/Alexis based, so I hope you like it.

The next morning, Alexis woke up to Starscream holding her. He was already awake.

"Morning" he said softly to her.

"Morning" Alexis replied.

Gosh he was a gorgeous as a human. His hair was slightly passed his shoulders and his eyes were dark blue, surprising because his optics had been orange. His body as a whole was strongly muscled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Great now" Alexis answered.

"I'm gonna have a surprise for you later, okay? So look forward to today".

"I look forward to every day with you".

"Good, get dressed".

"Oh shut up, you. I'll get up when I want".

Starscream smiled as Alexis got up, got her clothes, and changed in the bathroom. Even though they were together, the tow had never been completely intimate with each other. No, they wanted to save that for much later.

Big plans were in store for the two, and Starscream was always an opportunist. That hadn't changed about him yet. He had an opportunity today, and he was gonna take it. It was one of the first days of summer and it was perfect, just the right day. He'd keep Alexis in the dark for now, but she wouldn't be for long.

On again, off again Alexis taught him to read and taught him about human culture. She continued to read The Brethren to him, but he was starting to learn how to read on his own. If it weren't for her, he never would've learned.

The day seemed to roll on forever before the right opportunity came. It was sunset and the two were by the pond watching the sun go down.

"Isn't it pretty?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, you are".

"Smart alec".

Starscream shrugged. "Hey, could you get up for a minute? I gotta ask you something".

He helped Alexis to her feet and looked straight in her eyes.

"As we both know, you're not a teen anymore. You make me the happiest guy…ever, okay? And…ugh, why is this so hard? Sorry, I'm ruining the moment. I wanna be the one who has a good life with you, who has kids with you, who loves you forever and even longer. Alexis Paxton, will you marry me?".

Alexis screamed. "Oh my God! YES, Yes I will!".

"I'm sorry that I don't have ring, Peter wouldn't let me borrow some cash to buy one, but I do have this".

He took out that necklace she had made using that stone she found on Cybertron all those years ago.

"Where'd you find it?" Alexis asked.

"I hope you don't mind, but I went through some of your stuff to find it when Peter didn't let me borrow money for this. I didn't look at anything, I was just looking through an old box and there it was. This" Starscream slipped it on for her, "Is my promise for our future together, Alexis. When I get you a ring, we will be married, that is a promise".

Alexis hugged and kissed him. "Thank you, Starscream, for all of this. Yeah, you kinda killed the moment but…I loved it anyway".

A/N: How was that for a Screamer/Alexis chapter?! I did awesome and you know it!


	16. Chapter 15

Chamaeleon

_It took her a while, but Andromeda managed to fix Swindle's gun. Typical, she was a weapons expert, just like mama was. Andromeda was really proud of herself for being able to put it back together. She wasn't about to just give it back. _

_"You gotta get it back to him some time" papa told her. _

_"I know, but I don't wanna. It looks really cool". _

_"Andromeda…". _

_"Dad…". _

_"Return the gun". _

_"Alright fine, I'll give it back to Mr. Peddler"._

_I had watched the whole scene play out from papa's arms. He became very addicted to holding me now. It was a little strange, but I didn't complain. At least I was the cute one!_

_Andromeda still hadn't felt the right shift in time yet. It was getting closer by the day, she could feel it. All the while, mama was waiting ever so patiently for her to get the procedure of removing Andromeda's spark from her system. She couldn't keep it in forever. It'd become too big for her to handle. _

_Aunt Aimee had already gotten her procedure done, praise Primus, and was allowed to use mine and Camelio's old chambers. One was to be for little Kiba, while Andromeda would have the one next to him. I couldn't help but wonder something thought…was it possible for her to like someone from this time? Just a little thought bobbing around in my processor, mostly because I could sense some sort of tension in the room whenever Swindle was around. It wasn't Andromeda who was experiencing that. _

_It was Swindle himself…._

A/N: Yep, Swindle secretly digs Andromeda because of her knowledge of the business he's good at. Though I don't plan on making them an official pairing, unless you guys wanna see them together. Alright, you decide. 


	17. Chapter 16

_Cameliopardalus_

_It wouldn't be long before Andromeda had to leave. We didn't want her to go, but she had to right after her spark was taken out of mama. By that time though, Andromeda and Swindle had gotten incredibly close. He was her shoulder to shoulder companion, quite literally. He wouldn't (He didn't want to) leave her side for anything. He would've followed her forever. _

_Andromeda of course had no feelings for Swindle. She was to Kiba's sparkmate, while the arms dealer was meant to be alone. It was a shame really, because I already saw this coming. Swindle's feelings for her, her leaving, and the depressing mess it would leave afterward. I figured I shouldn't tell him about when she was to leave, to spare him a little pain. _

_"Here" Andromeda tossed the gun she had fixed back to Swindle. _

_"Nice, every piece, just as it was before. And you didn't think you could put it back to how it was?". _

_"I tried and succeeded, don't hold it over me, Mr. Peddler". _

_"Where you heading?". _

_"Back to my place, why?". _

_"Can I drive with you?". _

_"Why do you keep insisting on this? Do you like me or something?". _

_"I think you're fun to hang out with". _

_"So are my brothers, but I don't talk like that about them. You do like me, don't you?". _

_Swindle wordlessly approached her and knew his cover had been blown. His hand reached out and lifted her head so she could see his face. Feelings blared from both of them. In both Sparks, something was going on. It was an attraction, a strong one. Then, like nothing mattered, I saw the two kiss in my vision. That kinda was…awkward. Something I really didn't need to see. _

_Andromeda broke it and, with a slightly scared look on her face, she turned and ran. Swindle tried calling out for her, but she didn't listen. Rather, she put her hands over her audios, came home, and didn't wanna talk to anyone for hours. _

A/N: Hopefully that was okay. This story's gonna be coming to an end here soon, so I gotta define relationships really fast and I think I did pretty good with this, granted I'm not a Swindle fan.


	18. Chapter 17

Lockdown

"She's not gonna talk to ya, Swindle. I still can't believe you went and kissed my girl".

I guess I was going into over protective dad mode when Swindle admitted what he did. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. I mean, he was in love with a chick who's supposed to be years younger than him from another time who's actually meant to be for someone else. Yeah, I already knew it wasn't gonna work.

"I couldn't help it. It's been a while since I caught a femme by herself. I can't help it, she looks like her mother almost, except with some of your colors. She's so pretty. Can I date her?!".

Yeah, over protective mode just automatically came on.

"No, you can't date my daughter. Turn that no into a hell no and that's more like it".

"What's the big deal, Lockdown? I'll be good to her, I promise".

"Oh, you'll be good, huh? Is that why she's in her room now not wanting to talk to anyone? What'd you really do to her?".

"Nothing but a good little kiss, that's all, I promise".

Andromeda finally came downstairs again while he was still there, waiting to give her an apology.

"Hey, Andromeda" Swindle caught her at the base of the stairs of the main house where she was staying until she left, "Listen I'm sorry and…you're not listening".

Andromeda had gone past him and went out the door. Oh yeah, he really ticked her off. Can't blame her, to be honest. Swindle stole her first kiss from her. I would've been pretty pissed too. Yeah, he wasn't her type and she was way too out of his league and reach. She was…something else.

Problem: That didn't stop him! Primus, I swear he was desperate. He kept trying to apologize, but she kept blowing him off. I was laughing while he was trying. I just thought it was funny.

"Keep trying Swindle, you'll get her eventually" I laughed.

"You know what, I will get her. Andromeda will be mine someday, and I'll make it happen!".

"Yeah, yeah, whatever".

Again, all I could say was good luck to him.

A/N: Yeah, these chapters just get shorter. I think I'm falling out of this, I don't know. I'm running out of ideas with this one. I really wanna get this one over with, so I can start work on the next story, called _Aquila. _Yeah, So, I don't know what to do anymore. I need help guys with carrying on with this.


	19. Chapter 18

Shadow

I think we were all feeling shifts in time. I hadn't really realized things had changed since I made my decision to become a transformer to be with Lockdown. Everything had changed, even the small things. I had become a loving mate and mother of soon to be three here in a few months all in just a year. I was turning eighteen when we sparked Andromeda, so I was still changing.

I don't think anything ever truly stops changing. Really, nothing does. Change isn't really a bad thing, but it's something everyone should be aware of. But contrary to that, some things don't change…like how I feel about Lockdown. I knew that was never gonna change. I wondered if he ever knew that.

We were on our berth again that night (Swindle and Andromeda were humanely talking things out) and Lockdown had his head on my lap. My poor mech, he always needed a break. I guess I was that break. At least I offered it to him.

"Wow, Andromeda's spark is really getting warm in there, huh?" he noted.

"Yeah, she wants to be set free. Then our baby can finally go home".

"Hey Shadow…You don't think I'll leave you guys, right?".

"I know you'd never leave us, not for all the mods and upgrades in the world, love. You already have the best. What more could you want?".

"Yeah, I guess you're right. How 'bout the boys? They okay for the night?".

"Don't worry love, I took care of them just before you checked in on us. They're so sweet. I can't even believe sometimes that they're ours".

"They get it from you" Lockdown blinked at me.

"I can't wait for them to start talking. Won't that be exciting?".

"Yeah, I like the thought of it. They're gonna change so much after that".

"Speaking of change" I said, "Do you think everything changes?".

"Well yeah, everything has to in order to survive. Why do you ask, babe?".

"Because" I watched him get up and sit next to me, "I know one thing that will never, ever change".

"Really? What?" Lockdown gathered me into his arms, making the moment just perfect.

"How I feel about you".

"I knew you'd say that. Yeah, that won't change about me either. See, when I see you, Shadow Wing, I see the rest of my life. There's no going back to the way I was. I know it'd hurt you, babe, and I don't wanna risk hurting my family".

"You'd never hurt us" I said.

"According to Andromeda, I already have in her time".

"Lockdown, that's then. This is now. As long as we have each other, we'll make it. We always do" I cuddled to his chest, "We're just fortunate like that, I guess".

"That's why I love you, Shadow. You've done so much for me, and made me the happiest mech out here. You gave me it, even when I didn't deserve it. No, I'll never deserve all that you've given me. There's so much blood on my hands-".

"Stop, now you're ranting, Lockdown" I complained a little.

"Sorry, I forgot. You don't like it when I rant".

"Let's go to recharge. We both need it".

"I'm with you on that".

A/N: So how was that? I wanted to let Shadow and Lockdown have a moment to themselves because I don't seem to do that enough. Night, my readers. I'm going to bed.


	20. Chapter 19

A/N: How do you like this idea: I'm gonna let Andromeda have a chapter or two told from her point of view. I'm gonna try to put Swindle and Andromeda together for now and see how it works. I don't know a whole great bunch about him, so if I get him out of character, please let me know and tell me how to correct it. Thanks a bunch.

Andromeda

Finally, people can actually know my story. Of course, you probably know half of it, so I'm not going into extreme details. Swindle's little crush on me was causing issues for me. Between you and me, I liked that kiss that he gave me, but I didn't how to respond to it. I mean Kiba's good and all, but Swindle just nailed me. Looks like Mr. Peddler has more talent than arms dealing and ripping people off (Yeah, he's become a rip-off artist in my time. Hopefully he won't remember this).

I would be leaving in at least a week. Dad was no longer leaving us. I knew because I felt the time shift when we were listening to Invisible. My mission was, therefore, accomplished. But I didn't wanna leave. I had to, though. If I was still around when I was sparked, it would cause all kinds of trouble. But I had one amend I had to make right: I had to accept Swindle's apology.

"Hey Mr. Peddler, what up with thee?" I asked, trying to be comical.

"Oh, you're talking to me?".

"Well duh, who else is there to talk to?".

"Andromeda, about this past weekend-".

"Hey, don't sweat it, Swindle. It's cool, and you're a surprisingly good kisser".

"Well you acted like you hated it".

"I kinda did at first, but…I think it's cool now, so, are we cool?".

"Yeah, we're cool".

"So made any new weapons as of late?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact I have. Check this out" Swindle got under his desk and took a long, rectangular shaped box with an odd shape at the end.

He opened the case and I immediately knew who it was to belong to. It was a whip, made of a beautiful, ebony colored cord. On the handle was a small serrated knife blade with a button at the base of it. The cord itself was meant to create electric fields and shock all that touch it. At the end of the cord was an axe blade. It was my mother's Electric field axe whip. It was her most prized possession back in my time.

"You like?" Swindle asked.

"Are you serious? You made this?" I replied.

In my time, mother always told me dad had gotten her that whip for an anniversary of sorts. If that was indeed the case, than at least I knew now where he got it from.

"Do you use this weapon?" Swindle asked me.

"No" I picked up the handle out of the case, "But my mother does. It must've taken you forever to make this".

"Yep, a lot of time, toil, sweat, tears, and blood".

"You so ripped that from Winston Churchill".

"What can I say? He's my idol, I quote him and a lot of other famous people a lot".

No way! He looked up to Churchill too? I grew to admire the bravery of the humans during the two World Wars, and thought Hitler was an ugly mother slagger (Camelio said that he was gay with Stalin for a while, and I believed that to be true. Yeah, and then dad told me that everything Camelio said was a lie). I believed that too, just not in this time.

"So…you liked that kiss, huh?".

"It was okay. I just don't know what you see in me. Swindle, there's nothing really all that special about me".

"Are you kidding me?! There's a lot of special things that I like about you!".

"Like?".

"Well, you're smart, you're funny, you never really take yourself seriously, and even though you give off the whole tough girl vibe, I can see your innocence quite clearly".

I didn't want him to see that, but who was I to hide it? I let myself grow harsh after dad left me to a point where I gave up on other things that femmes really want. I wasn't every femme, and thank Primus for that. I was a hunter, meant to be alone for my whole life until all my prey was hunted or I was no longer needed.

But then Kiba came in…

I grew up with Kiba. We were best friends growing up and we were even considered to be childhood sweetsparks. Everyone knew we were meant to be, and when we had to go back into space (Me and my family, anyway), we were both crushed. I didn't see him again until much later, when we were adults. He helped me hunt my father and when my business with that was done, we were gonna settle down together here at the ranch. So we weren't exactly spark mates yet, but we were getting there. Maybe now I could actually have my dad's blessing for it.

"You okay?" Swindle asked, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking about stuff".

"Kiba?".

"Yeah, how'd you know?".

Swindle started to sing to me. **"I know when he's been on your mind. That distant look is in your eyes. I thought with time you'd realize, it's over, over". **

I replied. "_It's not the way I choose to live. And something some where's got to give. And sharing this relationship gets over, over". _

**"You know I'd fight for you but how can I fight someone who isn't even there? I've had the rest of you, but I want the best of you. I don't care if that's not fair. 'Cause I want it all, or nothing at all". **

_"There's nowhere left to fall. When you reach the bottom it's now or never. Is it all? Or are we just friends? Is this how it ends? With a simple telephone call, you leave me here with nothing at all". _

I started to walk off, but damn it Swindle kept it up and followed me out.

"**There are times it seems to me, I'm sharing you with memories. I feel it in my heart but I don't show it, show it. Then there's times you look at me, as though I'm all that you can see. Those times I don't believe it's right. I know it, know it". **

**"Don't make me promises. Baby you never did know how to keep them well. I've had the rest of you now I want the best of you. It's time for show and tell". **

_"'Cause I want it all or nothing at all. There's nowhere left to fall. When you reach the bottom it's now or never. Is it all? Or are we just friends? Is this how it ends? With a simple telephone call, you leave me here with nothing at all". _

**"'Cause you and I…could lose it all if you've got no more room no room inside for me in your life". **

_"'Cause I want it all, or nothing at all. There's nowhere left to fall…It's now or never". _

"_**Is it all? Or nothing at all? There's nowhere left to fall. When you reach the bottom it's now or never. Is it all? Or are we just friends? Is this how it ends? With a simple telephone call, you leave me here with nothing at all". **_

_**"Is it all? Or are we just friends? Is this how it ends? With a simple telephone call you leave me here with nothing at…all". **_

He kissed me again, this time I let it happen. I didn't run away from him. I accepted it. But I was confused now. I loved Kiba, but Swindle had me going now. Both of them had my interest, but who truly had my spark?

A/N: Oh the drama of it all! The song that they sing, All or Nothing, purely belongs to the group O-Town. I thought it was a cool song and I think it suits them pretty well. At least I think it does.


	21. Chapter 20

Chamaeleon

_Swindle and Andromeda had gotten incredibly close during the time she had on the ranch. He enjoyed having her around and even had the boldness to ask her to marry him. Unfortunately though, Andromeda had to decline. It wouldn't work between them and she was to be with Kiba anyway. I could see quite clearly that she cared about him and wanted to be with him, so we talked about it. _

"Do you love him?" I asked, "Swindle I mean".

"I don't know. I mean, he's a nice guy and I grew up having him around like an uncle. I thought I'd never see Mr. Peddler as anymore than that".

"But you are. Why do you think? Because to me, it's clear that you see him in a romantic light now. He's good to you".

"I know he is, but so is Kiba".

"Does Kiba love you the way Swindle does? Because if he did, he'd be here with you".

"I told him not to come. I told him that this was my hunt, my mission. It wasn't worth him getting all worried about anyway".

"Sure it is, if his mate's involved".

_I knew I struck a nerve somewhere because at that point she looked like someone had hit her fast and hard. I knew I was right. Kiba didn't love her like Swindle did. I knew he'd be good for her, and she for him. I imagined myself playing match maker for the two of them. Kinda a scary thought, you know?_

"I don't know, Chamaeleon. I'm really not so sure about anything right now. I appreciate you trying to help me, but I think it's best if we just leave the subject alone from now on, okay?".

"I can't make any promises Andromeda".

_Hey it was true, I couldn't make any…and I didn't make any. _

A/N: Yeah, kinda short, sorry. I think I kinda like this pairing idea. Plus, I just heard Swindle's voice in a video and he sounds like he's played by a hot guy, so, I'm giving him and Andromeda a chance at this.


	22. Chapter 21

A/N: Okay, I'm giving Swindle's POV a shot. This is also gonna be a cute chapter because…well, just read it. You'll like it. I don't own the song Thinking of You by Katy Perry.

Swindle

I was trying to add what I could to that weapon I was making that Shadow was to use later on. I wanted it to be perfect. I needed to get my mind off of Andromeda, but I couldn't. Just the thought of her leaving in six days…it broke me up. I loved her, deeply, no matter how much Lockdown wasn't approving of it. I tried by listening to one of my radios, but the song didn't exactly help.

_Comparisons are easily done, _

_Once you've had a taste of perfection. _

_Like an apple hanging from a tree, _

_I picked the ripest one and I still got the seed. _

Yeah, Comparisons were easy once you had perfection. But what happens when you lose it? That's what I think that song was all about it. You don't know what you have until it's gone, and it sucks especially when you have that perfection. I put the whip back in its case. I just couldn't concentrate on it tonight.

_You said move on, _

_Where do I go? _

_I guess second best, _

_Is all I'll ever know. _

If she ever told me to move on, I wouldn't know where to go too. I guess in this case, back to how things were. I guess I'd have to go back to ripping off Lockdown for a few bucks or more. Nah, that wasn't fun anymore. In this case, I was the one experiencing the second best. Yeah, it still sucked.

'_Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you. _

_(Thinking of you, thinking of you)_

_Thinking of you, what you would do, _

_If you were the one who was spending the night. _

_(Spending the night, spending the night)_

_Oh I wish that I was looking into your eyes. _

Yeah, that made two of us. I was always thinking of her. I thought of having just one night with her (Get your mind out of the gutter, human. I know what you're thinking). Yeah, I wanted to be the one looking into her eyes too. I wondered though, if she was back with Kiba, would she think of me at all? Would I ever cross her mind? Would she wish I was the one who loved her? Dreams of bliss that I knew would never be realized swirled around in my processor like crazy.

_You're like an Indian summer in the middle of winter. _

_Like a hard candy with a surprise center. _

_How do I get better once I've had the best?_

_You said there's tons of fish in the water, so the waters I will test. _

No, that I wouldn't do, lady. Once you've had perfection, you can't find anything else. You only want that one thing. Kinda like a drug almost. Yeah, that's it, I'm on something, that's all. I mean, she's just too perfect for me, right?

"I don't need this right now!" I yelled in hopes some sort of deity would hear me.

_He kissed my lips, I taste your mouth, oh. _

_(Taste your mouth)_

_He pulled me in, I was disgusted with myself. _

"Yeah, you've had your fun! Can you leave me alone now?!".

Nope, that wasn't gonna happen. I loved Andromeda too much to let that go. I couldn't give up, but I knew it wasn't gonna work. I wanted to give up, but something drove me on.

'_Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you. _

_(Thinking of you, thinking of you)_

_Thinking of you, what you would do_

_If you were the one who was spending the night. _

_(Spending the night, spending the night)_

_I wish that I was looking into your eyes. _

I sighed, knowing that I was in the same boat as this chick was. I was feeling down when I heard a knock at my door. Annoyed, I got up and answered. It was…It couldn't be!

"Andromeda?" I opened the door for her, "What are you doing here?".

"I heard you slept alone. I thought maybe you'd want some company".

"Oh, I'm okay, but you can stay".

_You're the best and yes, I do regret. _

_How could I let myself let you go?_

_Now, now the lesson's learned. _

_Oh I think you should know! _

"Cool" Andromeda came in and I looked on as she looked around.

This had to be a dream…No way she wanted to spend the night with me! But here she was, checking out my stuff, saying that my room was a mess, all that good jazz. I smiled, even if she meant to insult.

'_Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you. _

_(Thinking of you, thinking of you)_

_Thinking of you, what you would do_

_If you were the one who was spending the night. _

_(Spending the night, spending the night) _

_Oh I wish that I was looking into your, your eyes. _

_Looking into your eyes, looking into your eyes. _

I had to be dreaming, I just had to be. Only one way to find out. I approached her from behind and put my arms around her waist. I put my head on her shoulder, my face was near hers.

"Swindle…" she just stopped talking.

"I'm glad you came, Andromeda. Make yourself comfy. It's probably gonna be a one night thing anyway, and I'm not thinking dirty, I promise".

I kissed her cheek plate, and proceeded to clear off the berth. I'd get the floor tonight.

_Oh, won't you walk through? _

_And burst in the door and take me away? _

_Oh, no more mistakes, _

'_Cause in your eyes I'd like to stay. _

_Stay…_

"You can sleep with me tonight, I don't care" Andromeda said.

"Oh, well, are you sure?" I asked.

"If you don't have dirty intentions, I'm fine".

I gathered her into my arms and carried her to the berth, next to me. She gave me an approving smile, meaning that was just smooth, Swindle. Andromeda came to me and I took delight in her nearness. She fell asleep like that, feeling me brushed against her. I smiled as I too slipped into recharge. Yeah, in her eyes, I wanted to stay too.

A/N: How was that? Probably good enough to have been a fanfic on its own. See ya, I gotta go eat, friends.


	23. Chapter 22

Cameliopardalus

_Everyone heard about Swindle's and Andromeda's little one night. I believed nothing went down, but the others weren't exactly sharing my clean thoughts. _

"So, what really happened last night with you and Swindle? Was he good?" _Aimee had to ask. _

"What are you talking about? He barely touched me!".

_Oh yeah, people kept asking stupid questions like that and really ticked her off. She needed to clear her head so she came to talk to me. _

"He didn't do anything to me" _Andromeda told me. _

"Let them believe what they want. The only question I have for you is…do you love him?".

_Andromeda looked a little confused for a minute. She seemed to understand what I was asking, but I knew Chamaeleon had asked the same question just the day before. Well, she slept on the same berth with him, wasted her time with him, so she had to love him. After a while she simply smiled. _

"Yeah" _Andromeda admitted, _"I do, I do love Swindle. But what am I gonna do about it? I can't go back to my time and just get with the guy I've thought of only as my uncle my whole life".

"Take him back with you".

"I don't even know if I can do that" _Andromeda appeared thoughtful, _"Wait, if he does go back with me then his future self gets cancelled out! Oh Primus, you may be a sparkling, Camelio, but you're a genius!".

"I'm a genius? Awesome!".

"Alright, but I gotta go talk to Swindle. I gotta see what he thinks about coming back with me".

_Case solved…or so I thought. _

A/N: Yep, more drama is on the way. You honestly didn't think I'd put Swindle and Andromeda through trial right? You'll see they still have one problem on their hands. Check it out in the next chapter.


	24. Chapter 23

Andromeda

Camelio had a great idea as to how to solve our time problem, and through it all, I forgot about Kiba. What was I gonna tell him when I got back? What, that I found someone better? He'd get upset, I already knew he would. He'd think I'd betrayed him, but he was still very close to me…as my closest friend. But that wasn't gonna be easy telling him. So I needed advice and fast.

Sari was more than glad to give it.

"Just tell Kiba the truth. If he's really your friend, he'll get it, Andromeda. Like that time Kenneth and I broke up, he took it just fine, and we were still friends".

"Yeah, but did you tell him you were breaking up with him just so you could go out with Bumblebee?".

"No, I just told him that there was someone else. But he totally got the message".

"Speaking of Bumblebee, where is he now?".

"Oh, he's off pestering Prowl on the Chicken Nuthouse. He's made that a hobby nowadays".

Yeah, my tow crazed "Uncles" had been going at it for a while now, ever since Sari was little. My brothers and I always laughed at their little arguments and disagreements. If things got really bad between them, then we all worked together to bring everyone back together.

Oh, and the whole ranch was in an uproar when the rumor that Sari and Bumbles were dating. Geez, that was even worse than what I was getting now. To think, there's so much drama going on here now. I actually came up with a list of all the drama stories no one seemed to wanna let go. Check it out:

I slept with Swindle (SO NOT TRUE! SHUT UP YOU ANNOYING PEOPLE!)

Bumblebee and Sari are dating

I'm supposed to get with Prowl's and Aimee's sparkling (That's going up in smoke)

Starscream and Alexis are engaged

Peter's getting a dog

Yeah, not exactly a huge list, but it's something. So, Swindle and I talked it out and guess what… HE'S GOING BACK WITH ME!!!! Do you not realize how super awesome that is?! I'm gonna be married to the coolest, most awesome arms dealer in the whole frikkin universe! That is cool my friends. Anyway, so now that we had that out of the way, all there was left to do was wait for four more days, then Swindle and I were finally going home, where we belonged. I couldn't wait for it.

A/N: Thank you Amethyst for inspiring me to make Swindle go with her. I'm tired beyond all thought, but I don't wanna go to bed. I wanna stay up and eat fudge all night. I wanna go to the movies and see Watchmen, but I know that ain't gonna happen. Oh well, R/R please!


	25. Chapter 24

Swindle

She seemed a little nervous about going home. She wanted to go, but she also wanted to stay. Once her mother's procedure was done, it was time for us to go.

"Three more days, Andromeda. Just think of it" I told her.

"Yeah, it's gonna be awesome".

A thought came to me. What about us having…sparklings? I knew it was far too soon to be worrying about that, but I wanted to know how Andromeda felt about it.

"What do you think of us maybe having sparklings once we're married, Andromeda?".

"I don't know, I never really thought of that. I've been so worried about going home, it's not even funny".

"What's worrying you?" I asked.

"How much it's probably changed now. It's only gonna change more when you step in".

"Don't worry about it, Andromeda, we'll make it".

Andromeda smiled. "Sure we will. We'll make a living on your peddling, Mr. Peddler".

"Hey, once you're married to me, who's that make you?".

It was an obvious question and I couldn't resist answering it for her: "Mrs. Peddler".

She punched my arm. "You're such a brat, Swindle".

"Yeah, but I'm your brat, my dear, so….you're stuck with me".

"Shut up and kiss me, you big brat".

You know that feeling you get when you know you're being watched? Yeah, I was having that feeling right there, and for good reason: Lockdown was watching us very carefully. I knew he didn't approve of me getting with his daughter, but…he'd just have to get over it. I loved Andromeda, and there was nothing that could be said or done to change that. So, just to tick him off, I did as she asked. Yeah, only then did the feeling of being watched go away.

I knew that this happy ending was gonna be hard to come by at the beginning, but now he was just being flat out ridiculous. But, I didn't know what to do about it.

"Let him mingle. He'll have to get over it eventually. It's just an over protective dad thing. If you ever have a daughter, Swindle, you're gonna feel it too" a voice in my processor assured me, "It's the whole Daddy's Little Girl thing".

But Andromeda wasn't a little sparkling anymore. She was my girl, my future spark mate, and all mine…And we couldn't see it any better way.

A/N: So, how was that? Yeah, I'm awake now since it's 11 in the morning now. See ya next chapter.


	26. Chapter 25

Lockdown

We all had our insecurities when Andromeda and Swindle finally had to go. We hoped they'd find whatever they were looking for…in my case, I hoped that I really did undergo a change for her.

"We'll see you around, kids" I said.

"I'm not a kid" Swindle replied.

"Sure you are, you're just in denial about it".

"Yeah, yeah, whatever".

"But seriously, I'm laying down some ground rules here. First off, you better not be a jerk off to Andromeda. If I find out you did anything to hurt her, your arm dealing aft will be mine. Second, treat her well, she deserves it. Three, NO MEANS NO!!!!".

"I knew that, you didn't need to scream it".

"C'mon guys, can't you get along once?" Andromeda asked.

"I was just saying" I shrugged.

Andromeda hugged me and then her mother. "Guess I'll see you guys later, huh?".

"Yeah, we'll see you around kiddo" I told her.

"Don't worry, either one of you. I'll take good care of her" Swindle assured us.

"Yeah you better" I replied.

"I wanna see grandkids if you guys decide to come back to this time…just to check on things" Shadow added.

"Um, mom, that's a bit of an issue. Once Swindle and I go through the time line, we can't go back. You're just gonna have to wait and see what happens".

"Yeah, you guys won't be seeing me for a while. We'll find a way to come back. I'll design something for it. Oh, miss Shadow, when I leave, there's a gift for you under my berth up in my room. I just finished it last night. I hope you'll like it" Swindle turned his attention back to Andromeda, "You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, the time line's set, we just have to hold on to each other or it's not gonna go right".

Poor wreck-Gar didn't want Andromeda, Andy as he liked to call her, to leave. We practically had to surgically remove him from her leg. Prowl and Aimee both wished them luck. Scorcher and Blazer did the same. Starscream and Alexis gave them their own little Cybertronian moon crystals as promise necklaces. I looked on as Swindle and Andromeda held on to each other and they vanished when a purple light surrounded them. But just before they disappeared, I could've sworn I saw Andromeda look back at me and smile her goodbye.

It wasn't really goodbye in a way, but I'd miss my girl's adult self being around. I'd probably miss Swindle too, but hey, free mods….I'm just kidding, but seriously I'd be all over those mods if I still had the addiction. Praise Primus that I didn't anymore

A/N: Next up is the epilogue. Then, I'm gonna do something for you guys that I've never done before. I'm gonna give you an exclusive synopsis of my next fic in this series, _Aquila_, which will be coming to you soon.


	27. Epilogue

Epilogue-Shadow

We spent the first three years of our sparkling's lives on earth. In that time, lots of stuff happened. Alexis and Starscream had a little girl named Anna Marie. Prowl and Aimee had Kiba (Who looks just like his father, except he's blue and white like his mother). Peter adopted an Australian shepherd dog named Todd. Bumblebee and Sari's relationship worked out better than we thought. And I became pregnant again with our fourth sparkling.

We decided to have this one back when we were traveling and hunting again. Lockdown trained our three sparklings to hunt, and, like what Andromeda had told us before, she was her father's best student, second only to Oil Slick, who decided to stick around in case we needed extra help.

I haven't seen Andromeda's adult self or Swindle since they left. I do love the whip that Swindle left behind for me. It's a marvelous weapon. At any rate, I missed her, even though her younger self was around. Perhaps maybe when she's older we'd see them again, but not now. For now, Andromeda enjoyed her freedom and the thrill of a hunt.

However, I did see someone quite familiar on our last hunt. I haven't told anyone about him, but he was also a hunter. His name was Storm Caller, and his hunting skills matched Andromeda's highly. He had large lavender colored optics with the green and navy blue colors of Andromeda. It was quite obvious who this was: Andromeda's future son. It was a sign: Our daughter was okay.

"Don't tell them, okay? I came here to tell you that everything's alright. Mom's fine and Dad still treats her like a queen. It's okay, grandma. Everything's alright".

"Thank you" I sighed with relief, "Just thank you".

"I gotta go. Remember, don't tell anyone" he used the timeline and vanished in the same light as my daughter did.

"Goodbye, my grandson. At least I know one kid's gonna be okay".

Everything was gonna be fine now. Lockdown hadn't left us, and Andromeda was gonna establish her own lineage of strong hunters and arms dealers. Yeah, the future looked extremely bright for all of us.

A/N: Short, but revealing a lot here. I haven't seen the Unborn yet, but I wanna take my mom to go see it. Hopefully it's good. Thanks for reading, guys. Next up, my exclusive behind the scenes look at _Aquila_.


	28. Exclusive look at Aquila

Hey everybody, it's Beelzemongirl and this is my first ever exclusive look at a future fanfic. I think this next fic, called _Aquila_, will be highly interesting in the eyes of my reviewers who've come to know and love this series (Which I'm calling the Lockdown's Shadow series).

The fanfic takes place almost seven years after _Andromeda_. _Aquila_'s setting is actually mostly in space, but they will spend a lot of time on Earth. The story is centered on Lockdown and his father-daughter bond with Aquila, his youngest sparkling and his second daughter. Aquila's a beast morph, which comes as a shock to her parents because neither one of them are beast morphers. Even more shocking than that is Aquila's strange look. She's like her father, only none of her parts really match. She takes the form of a falcon, which is one of my favorite birds (Peregrine to be more specific).

None of the sparklings know about their mother being a human once, until Lockdown is forced to tell Aquila the truth about her heritage after a rogue hunter tries to kill her. Angry at her father for "making her this way", Aquila runs off in search of the truth. Her adventures land her on Earth where she meets her mother's friends. She also meets Kiba, who's now a leader of his own faction.

After a time, Aquila leaves Earth again and finds, believe it or not, the Jungle planet. While there, she learns that the planet's leader, Scourge, is growing old and needs an heir. Aquila must go through several trials and challenges to prove herself worthy to lead Scourge's group of beast morphers. All the while, Lockdown is trying to find her and bring her back.

Along the way, he runs into some unexpected help from Storm Caller, who happens to be Swindle's and Aquila's future son. Together the two find the Jungle Planet and plan to bring Aquila back. But will she come home is the question everyone wants answered….TOO BAD I AIN"T SPOILING IT!!!!

As you can probably tell by the plot, I was extremely inspired by the movie _Balto 2: Wolf Quest _to make this fanfic. I just saw it and Aquila just kinda came to mind. I don't know who all I'm getting involved with this, but I can tell already it's gonna be great. Well, that's all I can spoil for now guys. Hope you liked it!

Thank you to all who reviewed my fanfics and those who gave me inspiration and ideas. It's been a long road and I'm not sure if I could've made it without you guys. So again, thanks. By the way, this will probably be the last story in this series. After this, I might start a new one based on Andromeda and Swindle. It'll depend if I have better ideas on me. See ya, hope you liked this!


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